Students Cope with the “Triple Life”

With more than 200 students, Northwood School is larger than it’s ever been. While there are many good things about having more students, there is one consequence that few students like: more triples.

Students in a triple room in 2016-17 (Photo: Mr. MIchael Aldridge).

“There are a lot of triples this year at Northwood because we had to maximize the number of students in each room,” said Ms. Mavis Agnew, Director of Residence Life. “With the new soccer program, we had 40 new student-athletes who needed a place to live.”

Some rooms that were double rooms in the past have become triples. “The room selection was based on the size of the room,” said Agnew. “Rooms that were big enough to accommodate three beds, three desks, three closets, three dressers, and three students became triples.” There are several triple rooms in the East and West Dormitories in the Main Building, but none of the rooms in Bergamini Dorm are big enough to hold three students, so Berg has no triples. “Some of the triples are the nicest rooms,” noted Agnew, “because they are the biggest and have more open space.”

Because triples are some of the biggest and nicest rooms, returning students have priority, and then upper-class students. The majority of students in triples this year are new students.

Being in a triple is socially the hardest because sometimes only two people get along, leaving the other person out. When all three roommates get along living in a triple can be really fun. “I think that probably the girls struggle the most with triples,” said Agnew, “because they have more stuff and have arguments about who is messier, who has more drawer space, and who is taking more room.”

Mirror staff writer Fran Castillo ‘19 lives in a triple, and he asked other students in triples to share their experiences.

“I live in a triple with Ella Fessette ‘21 and Kate Hagness ‘21,” said Marina Alvarez ‘21. “It’s fun to live with two of my best friends. The only problem is the limited space in the room. I wish the closet was bigger. I’d prefer living in a single because I like to have a little privacy and alone time during the day. But at the same time, I do enjoy having roommates because I get bored easily and their company is nice.”

“I’m living in a triple with Marina and Kate,” said Ella Fessette ‘21. “I don’t mind living with them because we became close friends, but sometimes it gets too crowded in the room, and I wish I had my own space. I’d prefer to live in a single because then I could go to bed earlier and not get easily distracted during study hall.”

“Living in a triple can be lots of fun, but it can sometimes be hard to manage your own life without bumping into the others,” said Jaden Klebba ‘21. “I room with Gabby Cote ‘21 and Julia Geraldi ‘20. If I wasn’t with these two, I’d prefer living in a double or a single. My roommates are people I’ve known for the past four years or more. In fact, when we were in 7th grade, we lived together at the Olympic Training Center for three months. Having a good bond with your roommates allows things to run smoother. But a downside of knowing your roommates too well is that we often stay up later than we probably should. Other than that, I really enjoy living in a triple with two of my best ski friends.”

“I like living in a triple because I’m a talkative person,” said Pedro Paggi ‘19. “I live with Lucca Baldassarini ‘19 from Brazil and Jason Ziegler from the United States. I like talking and connecting with my roommates. But I don’t like how our room sometimes gets too noisy or when my roommates sometimes bother me. I would have preferred to live in a single or a double.”

“I’m okay with living in a triple, but I don’t like that the school kind of stuck us in a room that is supposed to be a double,” said Josh Waters ‘19 “I live with Ryan Wilson ‘19 and Johannes Wallberg ‘20. We’re here without much space. Johannes even has to do his homework in the closet. I don’t mind anything else, because I had the chance to be with pretty decent people. I’d still prefer being in a single so I could do my own stuff.”

“I think living in a triple is fine. I’m more comfortable than I thought I’d be,” said Mateo Rodriguez ‘20. “When I first came to Northwood, I thought that we were going to very tight because there isn’t much space in my room. I live with Lucas ‘20, my twin brother, and Eric Swartz ‘20. I would probably prefer living in double depending on the size [of the room], and I’d also have no trouble living in single.”